Let’s start with the American whose visit in Magic Woods is slowly heading for an end. After sending Chris Sharma’s Practice of the Wild and Woods’s In Search of Time Lost, Carlo managed to add to his list another local extreme problem, this time – Mystic Stylez.

Carlo Traversi on New Base Line 8B+ (photo: Mary Macklenburg)

The athletic boulder, set up by Daniel Woods and graded 8C, did not endure American’s strength and as a result, once again, Carlo gave vent to his I-don’t-think-is-that-hard style suggesting lowering the grade to 8B+. However, in that case the whole situation seems a little bit less controversial as after setting up the boulder, Woods himself admitted that it was difficult for him to decide about the grading. Mystic Stylez is a sit start version of Muttertag 8A and thus includes three more moves. The first ascent of the boulder was made by Scot Dave MacLeod in May this year but the conqueror did not question the grade. Maybe Carlo is just in a better shape than he thinks he is?

And finally, our favorite samurai, Dai Koyamada, who’s been continuing his conquest of Chironico, where he’s already sent legendary boulder by Dave Graham From Dirt Grows the Flowers V15/8C. His next choice fell on another 8C, Martin Keller’s Der mit dem Fels tanzt consisting of four 8B/B+ moves followed by 15-moves 8B sequence.

Dai Koyamada on Der mit dem Fels tanzt 8C (photo: Ikuko Serata)

It took Keller more than 100 sessions within three years time to finally get through with the boulder. No one even dared to question the grade after that long and unequal fight. Obviously, Koyamada sent the problem much quicker meaning on the fourth day of attempts. Fast as the whole action may seem, Dai confirms the grade and the beauty of the boulder. Uff! :-)